Is 35:4-7a
Jas 2:1-5
Mk 7:31-37

Be Open 

The first reading for Sunday sets the tone for the message of all three readings, It is one that should fill our hearts with hope.

Thus says the LORD: Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing. Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe. The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water.

In the second reading from the Letter of James we are told that treating people differently based on wealth contradicts faith in Jesus Christ. God honors the poor in spirit, promising them God’s own kingdom.

Jesus gives us an example of his openness toward all people when he heals a deaf man in the Decapolis who also has a speech issue. That geographical area is not part of the Jewish world where Jesus centers his mission. The Decapolis is Gentile territory. He sees a man in need and that is reason enough to extend his mission. 

… people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” — And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.

The man’s ears were opened and his speech impediment removed only because he was truly open to Jesus’ ability to cure him. This story invites us to be recipients of God’s healing power if we are open. We need to be open enough to allow Christ to enter the chaos or pain of our lives. We must open ourselves to the possibility that we can and will be healed by God’s abundant love and mercy of all that holds us back from being deeply committed to our loving God. If we are really open to God in our lives, the possibility of spiritual, and maybe even physical healing, can take place. 

The question all of us can ask ourselves is this. Are we able to “be open” to what God can and will do for us?

How open are you to God’s desire to love and heal you of any spiritual weakness you discern in your life?

What steps can you take to deepen your faith in order to be open to God’s love and mercy in your life?